1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910791441603321

Autore

Simon Reeva S

Titolo

Spies and holy wars [[electronic resource] ] : the Middle East in 20th-century crime fiction / / Reeva Spector Simon

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Austin, : University of Texas Press, 2010

ISBN

0-292-78466-X

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (225 p.)

Disciplina

823/.08720935856

Soggetti

English fiction - 20th century - History and criticism

American fiction - 20th century - History and criticism

Spy stories, English - History and criticism

Spy stories, American - History and criticism

Detective and mystery stories, English - History and criticism

Detective and mystery stories, American - History and criticism

Jihad in literature

Espionage in literature

Spies in literature

Politics and literature - Great Britain - History - 20th century

Politics and literature - United States - History - 20th century

Middle East In literature

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Crime fiction as political metaphor -- Spies and holy war : jihad and World War I -- Holy war and empire : Fu Manchu in Cairo -- The publishing explosion and James Bond -- Secular jihad : international terrorism and economic destabilization -- The American crusade against terror -- Jihad, the apocalypse, and back again.

Sommario/riassunto

Illuminating a powerful intersection between popular culture and global politics, Spies and Holy Wars draws on a sampling of more than eight hundred British and American thrillers that are propelled by the theme of jihad—an Islamic holy war or crusade against the West. Published over the past century, the books in this expansive study encompass spy novels and crime fiction, illustrating new connections between these



genres and Western imperialism. Demonstrating the social implications of the popularity of such books, Reeva Spector Simon covers how the Middle Eastern villain evolved from being the malleable victim before World War II to the international, techno-savvy figure in today's crime novels. She explores the impact of James Bond, pulp fiction, and comic books and also analyzes the ways in which world events shaped the genre, particularly in recent years. Worldwide terrorism and economic domination prevail as the most common sources of narrative tension in these works, while military "tech novels" restored the prestige of the American hero in the wake of post-Vietnam skepticism. Moving beyond stereotypes, Simon examines the relationships between publishing trends, political trends, and popular culture at large—giving voice to the previously unexamined truths that emerge from these provocative page-turners.